But that was of no consolation given his fall in the race and the LCR Honda rider, on pole in Spain, is still seeking greater rear grip from the RC213V.

"As you can see by the times we clarified our speed again from the weekend, but it doesn’t make yesterday any easier to accept," said the Englishman. "But we worked again in a positive way and I felt good with the bike.

"We still need to find some rear grip compared to our competitors because eventually what happens is we end up overheating the front tyre because we don’t have enough rear grip.

"This is the situation, but we're pleased with the way the team worked. Honda have done a good job as well to assess our situation and try to help us a little and we'll go to the next race in Le Mans positive."

Crutchlow's second fall in as many races means the Argentina winner and former world championship leader is now seventh in the standings.